Turkish military objects giving command to US
Ankara wants control of its troops in Iraq
Compiled by Daily star staff
Turkey’s military is objecting to a US proposal to put Turkish troops who might enter northern Iraq under US command if there is a war in Iraq, a news report said Sunday.
Turkey is looking to move thousands of troops into northern Iraq during any US-led war against Baghdad a prospect that worries Iraqi Kurdish groups that rule the autonomous area.
Earlier this week, US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said any Turkish troop presence in northern Iraq should be under US command.
The speaker of Turkey’s Parliament, Bulent Arinc, immediately said the proposal was “most likely unacceptable.” “Commander Crisis,” the daily Milliyet headlined Sunday.
Turkish generals “strongly” object to the proposal, the newspaper said. It quoted the country’s military leaders as saying they could not agree to putting Turkish soldiers under foreign command.
Washington’s suggestion to put Turkish troops under US command aims at persuading Iraqi Kurds to cooperate in a possible war in Iraq.
Iraqi Kurds are worried that Turkey may use the war to try and realize historical ambitions to control the oil producing areas of northern Iraq. Kurdish officials have said they would agree to only a small Turkish presence that would safeguard humanitarian efforts.
Turkey has said that its troops would enter northern Iraq to prevent a refugee influx from the area. Turkish officials also say that Kurdish rebels in Turkey took advantage of a mass exodus into the country following the 1991 Gulf War and infiltrated into Turkey, leading to a dramatic upsurge in guerrilla fighting.
Many believe, however, that Turkey would cross into Iraq to prevent the possible creation of a Kurdish state. Some speculate that Turkey could use the buildup to wipe out Kurdish-Turkish rebel bases in northern Iraq.
Osman Ocalan, a senior rebel commander and brother of imprisoned Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, warned that if attacked, the guerrillas would break their unilateral truce and launch attacks on Turkey, the pro-Kurdish daily Ozgur Gundem reported Sunday.
Some 5,000 PKK rebels are believed to have found refuge in northern Iraq since 1999 when the PKK declared an end to its armed campaign for self-rule in adjoining southeast Turkey.
“If Turkey sees the issue as a vendetta and starts an annihilation war, the (Ankara) government will seal its own end,” Ocalan said.
“Just as our democratic struggle is carried out anywhere our people are, the armed resistance will be carried out in the widest possible area as part of a defense war,” he added.
Ocalan also warned the Iraqi Kurds against any attempts to expell the PKK from their region following a possible downfall of the Baghdad regime.
“If they say ‘we are in power now, you will get out of here,’ then we will defend ourselves … We will insist on political means. If this fails, we will enter a defensive war,” he said.
Ocalan said that the PKK should be taken into account in the shaping of postwar Iraq and that the group would insist on peaceful means before resorting to military action both against Turkey and the Iraqi Kurds. Agencies |
